COVID-19 in Mexico: 13,511 deaths and 113,619 confirmed cases

The Ministry of Health (SSa) reported this Saturday, June 6, that the accumulated COVID-19 infections are 113,619, adding 3,593 new cases today. Furthermore, since the beginning of the epidemic, Mexico has suffered 13,511 fatalities, with 341 new deaths reported today.

It’s important to note that the numbers released by the federal government are only those cases in public hospitals, the government does not report COVID-19 cases from private hospitals or laboratories.

Jalisco reported a total of 3,834 COVID-19 cases on Friday, June 5, the federal government only reported 2,653 in the state because the additional 1,181 cases were diagnosed in private hospitals and laboratories. The federal government is under-reporting the State of Jalisco by 30%.

If the federal government is under-reporting cases nationwide by 30%, the true confirmed cases of COVID-19 would be 34,000 additional cases.

Additionally, Jalisco reported 213 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic while the Federal Government only reported 207.

Puerto Vallarta has 308 COVID-19 cases according to the government, however local case counts exceed 400. Puerto Vallarta reported 3 new deaths from COVID-19 today.

The proportion of the population in Mexico that has had contact with SARS-CoV-2 is very small; 80 or 95% may still be susceptible to the virus, said Rosa María Wong Chew, head of the Clinical Research Branch of the UNAM Faculty of Medicine (FM). Although all numbers being reported by the government are based on data from only public healthcare systems, so their accuracy is questionable.

Serological or rapid tests must be applied to know the situation of the pandemic. “First among the health personnel and later in population groups. There are already seven tests authorized by the Federal Commission for Protection against Sanitary Risks (Cofepris) ”, added Gustavo Olaiz Fernández, General Coordinator of the Center for Research on Policies, Populations and Health (CIPPS) of the FM.

In the virtual conversation “Diagnostic tests for COVID-19 and regulatory aspects”, organized by the FM, Wong Chew pointed out that to obtain herd immunity it is necessary that between 60 and 70 percent of the population have antibodies, and we are very far of that figure.

The governors of Coahuila, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas, Michoacán, Durango, Jalisco, Colima, and Guanajuato announced the implementation of their own economic and social reactivation plan, parting from the Federal Government’s plan, which they called “New social coexistence”, while they accused Undersecretary of Health Hugo López-Gatell of generating confusion among the population due to the implementation of the COVID-19 traffic light system, which led people to leave confinement on June 1.